UFC invites Boston fans to open workouts, press conference, more

The UFC returns to Boston next week for its debut event on FOX Sports 1, and fans are invited to a host of activities around Beantown.

The city’s TD Garden is the site of next week’s “UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen” event, which takes place on Saturday, Aug. 17, and airs both main-card and preliminary matchups on the brand-new FOX Sports 1 channel following three additional prelim contests that stream on Facebook. However, the UFC-related activities start much earlier in the week.

The sessions start on Tuesday, Aug. 13, where Peter Welch’s Gym plays to a workout for fast-rising Irish featherweight Conor McGregor, who meets Max Holloway at next week’s UFC Fight Night 26 event. McGregor’s workout starts at 3 p.m. ET local time. Afterward, a UFC Fan Gathering is planned nearby at The Blackthorn Bar, where a limited edition McGregor posted will be distributed. Both events are free and open to the public.

That evening, a charity dinner designed to benefit The Shawn Thorton Foundation starts at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are required for the event, which is set to feature UFC President Dana White, UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin and an appearance from some of the UFC’s octagon girls. More information can be found at UFCHomecoming.Eventbrite.com.

On Friday, fans are invited to the official UFC Fight Night 26 weigh-ins, which also take place at TD Garden. A special UFC Fight Club Q&A session takes place with a fighter yet to be named. That session is open to member of the UFC Fight Club, which is the UFC’s official fan club. The public is invited in at 3 p.m. ET, and the fighters hit the scale one hour later.

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